photos

The #EachDayISee photo contest wrapped up on February 13, having received more than 1,400 submissions. To say that the number and quality of the entries exceeded all our expectations would be an understatement. We asked you to share your view of the world, and the visual stories we received from every region were breathtaking. Beyond the photos themselves, most submissions included detailed captions that set the context and helped viewers understand the stories behind the photos.

The human toll of natural disasters in Vietnam… entrepreneurs in Rwanda… wind power in Egypt… an infant with jaundice in Nepal… World Bank slideshows connect users with diverse people and places through the open window of a computer screen.

Yesterday, the IMF and the World Bank released the 2009 Global Monitoring Report, saying that the global financial crisis is imperiling attainment of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and creating an emergency for development.

Justin Lin, World Bank Chief Economist, spoke about the crisis at the launch of the report:

"Worldwide, we have an enormous loss of wealth and financial stability. Millions more people will lose their jobs in 2009, and urgent funding must be provided for social safety nets, infrastructure, and small businesses in poor countries, for a sustainable recovery."

The 2009 World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings are about to get under way in a few days. Before they do, here's a quick look at some of the big stories from last year's Meetings.

Global Economy, Human Development Goals Top the Agenda
The 2008 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank opened amid rising concerns about the impact of the credit crunch on the global economy and uneven progress towards such human development goals as wiping out hunger and malnutrition.

Global Monitoring Report 2008
At the halfway mark to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) deadline of 2015, World Bank economist Zia Qureshi said the world had not made the necessary progress, but success is still possible given certain conditions.